Device for holding a pleated garment



Nov. 16, 1965 A. KONOPA 3,217,434

DEVICE FOR HOLDING A PLEATED GARMENT Filed April 1'7, 1963 INVENTOR. 2 ANNA KONOPA BY 6M IJWAJ United States Patent 3,217,434 DEVICE FOR HOLDING A PLEATED GARMENT Anna Konopa, Rte. 1, West Springfield, Pa. Filed Apr. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 273,719 3 Claims. (Cl. 38-108) This invention relates to a device for facilitating the arrangement of pleats in fabrics; for example, pleated skirts, and for holding the fabrics in the pleated positlon while they are being ironed or pressed.

Previous devices for holding pleats while they were being pressed were difficult to use because no efiicient means was provided to hold all of the pleats in position. This was because no means was provided on the devices which could be attached to all of the pleats at once,

With the present invention, several individual pleats can be individually attached to the holding device at the same time. Then the operator can pull and hold the opposite end of the garment with one hand while applying the iron to the pleats with the other hand.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for holding pleats during the ironing operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination device for holding pleats on an ironing board with a means for fastening the device to the ironing board.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for holding pleats which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple and efiicient to use.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an ironing board with a holding device thereon according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of the holding device; and

FIG. 3 is a view of another embodiment of the invention.

Now with more specific reference to the drawing, an ironing board is shown having a bracket member 11 hooked over the end thereof. The bracket member '11 is a channel shaped member which has spaced chains 12 attached thereto. The distal ends of the chains 12 have clips 14 thereon. The chains 12 are of a familiar type to those skilled in the art. They are made up of a plurality of balls which are inserted in keyhole shaped slots 15. The large parts of the slots 15 are larger than the balls of the chains and the small parts of the slots are smaller than the said balls.

The bracket member 11 hooks over the end of the board 10 so that the operator can pull the opposite end of the garment when the clips 14 are attached thereto. The pleats of skirt 30 will all fall in position so that the operator can apply the iron thereto. The skirt indicated in phantom lines at 30 has each individual pleat attached to one of the clips 14. The operator can adjust the length of the chains 12 to give the optimum tension on each one.

3,217,434 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 "ice The chains can be lengthened to make it easy to attach the clips 14. When the clips are snapped over the bottom ends of the pleats to hold them in position for ironing, the chains 12 can be tightened to put a tension on the pleats when the operator grasps the waist end thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, an ironing board 1 10 is shown having a bracket with an upwardly extending leg 118 and a laterally extending leg 117 integral therewith supported generally parallel to the upper surface of the ironing board and spaced above it. The horizontal leg 117 has keyhole shaped slots like the slots 15 in FIG. 1 which receive a chain 112 in the same manner that the chains are supported in the keyhole slots in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but it is understood that the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

I. In combination, a device for holding a pleated garment and an ironing board comprising a bracket attached to one end of said ironing board,

at least five chains,

each said chain having means on one end thereof for attaching said chain to a pleat of said garment,

and fastening means on said bracket for attaching an intermediate part of each said chain to said bracket at any selected position along said chain whereby the length of each said chain between said bracket and said fastening means on each said chain can be adjusted.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said fastening means comprises keyhole shaped slots in said bracket receiving said chains, each said slot having a small part and a large part, said chains each having a plurality of spaced small parts and spaced large parts between said small parts,

one each said chain being disposed in the small part of a said slot whereby each said chain is held with a fixed length between said bracket and said fastening means,

each of said chains being adapted to move into the large part of the said slot in which it is received, allowing the effective length of each said chain to be adjusted.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said fastening means comprises clips adapted to be snapped over said pleats.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,501,044 7/1924 Dwoirin 38108 2,437,084 3/1948 Esecson 3812 2,454,176 11/1948 Houser 38-108 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A DEVICE FOR HOLDING A PLEATED GARMENT AND AN IRONING BOARD COMPRISING A BRACKET ATTACHED TO ONE END OF SAID IRONING BOARD, AT LEAST FIVE CHAINS, EACH SAID CHAIN HAVING MEANS ON ONE END THEREOF FOR ATTACHING SAID CHAIN TO A PLEAT OF SAID GARMENT, AND FASTENING MEANS ON SAID BRACKET FOR ATTACHING AN INTERMEDIATE PART OF EACH SAID CHAIN TO SAID BRACKET 